She meant nothin' to me, nothin' at all !
by Evolution In The Dark
Summary: Beetlejuice and Lydia once stood at an atler. He pulled out a ring already on another girl's severed finger. He said "She meant nothin' to me, nothin' at all" This is a small tale about the first bride of Beetlejuice.


Six hundred years…Six hundred years…I stopped counting the years a along time ago. The naming of years never mattered, only decades and centuries that past.

I'm dead, and have been for six hundred years, but there was time I lived.

I breathed air, had warm blood coursing through my veins, and a heart…a broken heart as I held my dying mother in my arms as her soul drifted away into the moonlit mist.

After that, I was alone…I was alone holding a ring, a ring that my father gave to her…a ring that binds two lovers as they promise each other to always be faithful. I was suppose to receive this ring, the ring from my mother as a gift when it was time for me to marry…to marry a bride who would be faithful to me, but the time inside my mother was stolen from her, and during her last breath of life, I promised to take her ring and find someone worthy of me, and as I said the last words of my promise, she died.

There was no temple, no sanctuary, no priest, and no ceremony to properly commemorate my mother's passing; just a hole in the ground, filled with beautiful scented flowers, and the delicate body of my mother carefully placed inside. I didn't say any last words, I already said my last few words, a promise, before she died; all I could do was stare at her lifeless body as the night air chilled through the place I stood, and then…I cried…I cried until there were no more tears, but the pain remained knocking at the core of my heart, I was alone now, holding in my hand a ring, a ring to serve as a reminder that I was not alone, and I would find my bride someday. I placed the ring in my pocket, and covered my mothers body with more flowers, then dirt, then rocks, and more flowers, then I walked aimlessly into the dark mist of the night, consoling myself…consoling myself with my newest companion…the shadows.

The shadows not stars…my mother had always told me to look into the stars for everything. If I missed her in my travels, looks to the stars for her, and they would whisper her voice for me to hear…If I was ever lost, look to the stars as a source of light, and gain direction…and If I ever have doubt for things of the future, look to the stars, and they will cure my mind of all doubt, all confusion, and answer all questions. Mother was very passionate with the knowledge of stars, and so she named me after the second largest star of Orion…Betelgeuse.

**Life as a Betel.**

As a twenty-five year old man, it was unusual to be unwed. I walked through the candle lit streets, gaze through the windows of closed shop keepers, and could see the wary still at work…in one shop, there's an old man making shoes; in another, a toy maker painting toys; in another, an old woman and her daughter and grand-daughter stitching a large quilt; and another, men are making swords…the list is endless.

I normally like to walk at night, and during a certain darkness, lurked a sinful nature… the decent of people called this time of night an 'ungodly hour'…the decent of people would be at home asleep in their beds, all the shops were closed, and guest inside the Inn; the only way to be overlooked as indecent person is if…and only if you were a man of the army, a town guardsman, a doctor or priest rushing to aid the sick, or a caretaker of the dead.

My reasons were different, I have always challenged the ungodly hour head first at full force, ready for adventure, but I was still careful…you see, during the night in a small town, people gossip, so I practiced the art of disguise, and with that I visited my favorite places…houses of gambling, liquor, and women…I love women.

During the day, I held a respectable career. I didn't like how it took so much time away from my life, but it brought me one type of happiness…my title. The title, was at the time called 'Installation Supervisor'…you see, I was in charge of the newest, most largest project in history, it would revolutionize the way of retrieving water, they called it 'water purification'…a project not just for farm land, but a water plant so vast, it could pump water into pipes for homes and business…me having that title earned many coins…I love coins…I love any kind of money.

I was a simple man, with endless dreams, achieving each of my desires, but to gain the best is not to wait for coins from the owners of business, but to earn even more coins…my secret career as a dark agent.

As a dark agent, I only work at night, disguised in black and white. I rode on a black horse, carried a sword, and catered only to the rich…as proper as they are made to be, they have a need for blood, blood they can't shed themselves, so they hire me to do it for them. Some hired me for revenge, some to make an example of someone else, and some for fun…the bitter the person, the more coins I earn. I have killed fifty towns people, a record high, without getting caught…It was thrilling. I loved my secret work, I love my disguise, I love the blood and fear, and I love I do all this to earn lots of money.

**Love in life**

I held two careers in the eighteenth century, and it was coming close to my thirtieth birthday, and being single at that age is not a game; respectable businessmen would not take an unwed man seriously, especially businessmen who have family owned businesses…it's time for me to wed, or be turned away.

I owned a home in the middle-class section of town; it was made out of stone, had lots of windows, three two fireplaces, three bedrooms, and a study. I sat in my study and wrote a list about my ideal bride…

1) Young

2) Pretty

3) Delicate

4) Kind

5) Loving

6) Faithful

The woman I met didn't quite describe my list, but as I looked closer…I saw something different; and as I got to know her…she was actually funny, I actually laughed with her, having a since of humor wasn't written on my list, but is a big plus, and she was kind of pretty.

I started to date her, and she became more prettier every time we spent time together, we were almost inseparable. From time to time she would visit her widow mother, the mother had a on and off sickness, but still wanted her independence….I understand that, my mother had the same issue.

The woman and I dated for awhile…I was a romantic…I gave her flowers, and jewelry things like that, and it made her smile…she had a pretty smile. She would show her appreciation by saying thank you and giving me a kiss, and she would make food for me…not a great cook, but the food was still eatable.

Then I made a plan to purpose to her, but before that could happen I died….

It was so mysterious to me…so fast…I don't remember a fight…I don't remember pain…and I don't remember blood…all I know was I stood in a grizzly dim area staring at another dead person who wore a long black cloak. He led me to a depressed grim world called The Netherworld.

**Love carried over into death.**

The dead person led me through the city…I've never seen anything like it…it was so…so…chaotic, at least there was one thing I liked about it…it was like being in a strange dark fairy tale.

In this fairy tale…this world of the dead has a kingdom, and there lives a Prince, a very depressed Prince with dark mysterious power…but I really paid no attention, politics were not my best subject.

As I wondered the dead streets with this dead stranger I thought about something I never thought I would think of…love, I thought about my bride. I thought about her cute but not beautiful looks, and the way she makes me laugh, and the way she smiles…I wanted to be near her again….I've got to go back.

I learned several lessons very quickly, and the one important lesson is…I'm a ghost, and as a ghost, it's my god given right to scare the living. I have used this right as a ticket to journey in the Living Realm to search for my bride, but it was never easy…. There were doors to step through….

The most dangerous doors led to Sandworm Saturn…it was my first door that I've entered since my death, and was my first mistake, which brings me to my deep hatred of sandworms.

The other doors led to many homes and many city across the world…I've been to China, England, Italy, Spain, France…I went everywhere, and quite by mistake I've been there more than once…the doors to the Living Realm look the same, and can change if not careful…I've been across the world trying to find my bride, I've studied the languages… it a great scare to fright people in their own language instead of saying "Boo" all the time.

Then finally I reached my bride…She was sitting by her mother eating dinner, I didn't disturb them, instead I took a living form…something I taught myself…and I went around town…one year has passed since my death, I didn't notice…The Netherworld timing must be different. I looked at my watches…I carried two at the time….the first watch told the time of my death, and the second watch told the time of the place I last traveled…I was in Spain, so I now changed it to reflect American time.

My bride sat alone near a pond, so I greeted her…She's surprised to see me, she hugged, kissed, and smiled at me. I told her the truth about me being a ghost…at first she gave me an odd stare, and then she didn't seem to mind. I told her I wanted to continue were we left off…she became frightened, but after I assured her, she smiled and accepted me…I knew this new step would take some time, after all…a dead dating a living was completely new…definitely unusual, and most of all dark, but we dated happily. I took her to see my new world, the world of the dead…she was frightened but was at ease being near me. I took her around the world…she enjoyed France, England, and Rome the best. I showed her magic…ghostly magic…she was very impressed. Then I purposed…She accepted.

My bride and I wed in the Living Realm…it is legal for me to stay in the Living Realm, and also possible for me to live again, I wanted to…

But I didn't want to.

I liked my ghostly abilities…things came to me as I wanted them to, I could appear and disappear at will, I could travel the world in a matter of minutes, and I can play puppeteer with someone else's body just for sheer entertainment…I can strengthen myself, teach myself new magic…I can do anything I want, and that's a great feeling.

One day I had to journey back to the Netherworld, and my wife wanted to spend time with her mother while I was gone…sure why not, enjoy.

I went to the Netherworld and met a skeleton man who wore a black cloak and white long curly wig, they called him the Sandworm Sender…Judge Mental.

I didn't comment a crime, but the act of a dead wed to a living was unusual….

Judge Mental sat at the bench, looking to Betel. "Do you know why you were summoned her today Mr. Betelgeuse ?"

"No I don't."

Judge Mental leaned against the bench with a sour look. "It's about your marriage to the living woman."

"I researched the subject, and I don't recall the act being illegal."

Judge Mental led back on the chair. "That's because it's not illegal. As a ghost, you may wed a living but the ceremony was performed incorrectly."

"How so…did we need to have the ceremony here ?"

Judge Mental leaned foreword. "Ghost may marry in the Living Realm, but…the ceremony must be performed by a dead priest, and…if the bride has an immediate blood family member such as a mother or father, they must serve as a witness to the marriage, and the bride's mother is still alive, but reports tell she wasn't at the ceremony…why ?"

"Her mother is ill."

Judge Mental leaned back on his chair. "Is her mother able to see or hear ?"

"She can't see very well, but can hear crystal clear."

Judge Mental closed a book. "Since the mother of the bride is still alive, and is able to at least hear the ceremony, then that will be good enough…if you intend for your marriage to be valid perform the ceremony with a dead priest."

"Will is be ok if the ceremony is near her mother's bedside ?"

Judge Mental floated down to him. "_Where_ the ceremony is performed matters not, _how_ the ceremony is performed does."

"What if the mother dies ?"

Judge Mental floated to the doorway of his study. "Then you will only need a dead priest." then raised a finger. "But do not attempt to kill the mother, any ghost who kills a living will be held..._accountable_."

"I have no plans on doing that, her mother is nice to me."

Judge Mental raised a brow. "How nice is she going to be once she knows that you are a ghost ?…by law, you have to tell her, or make her aware by some other means."

"So that's three things…tell the mother about me as a ghost, if she's alive…she must be there, and dead priest to perform….anything else ?"

Judge Metal shook his head. " That's all you need to make your marriage legal, case dismissed." and shut the study door.

When I returned to the Living Realm, the day was still young and warm…I went to the house of my wife's mother…the mother laid asleep on her bed, but my wife was not there. I noticed a list on the desk…perhaps my wife is shopping for these items for her mother. I went in search for her…but she was nowhere to be found…then I noticed her enter a bar…no woman of statue should be alone at a bar, but perhaps she needed a drink to deeply relax her tired soul.

I entered the bar to join her, but she didn't sit a the bar stool, nor at one of the tables…she went upstairs to the rooms. I stepped back outside, in a alley to will myself into invisibility, then I floated to where she was.

My bride, my wife, my woman…is laid in bed with another man. She performed acts of which she called me disquieting when I asked her…she's collecting money to do this with him…wearing my mother's ring, breaking a promise to be faithful to me…she's doing this with him….my woman…no…not my woman.

I revealed myself to them…the guy screamed and ran off, as for the woman… I broke the law…don't kill the living. She was my first love, the first I cared about, and she broke my heart, but most of all…she broke a promise, and that's when she meant nothing to me...nothing at all. I broke off her finger with my mother's ring still on it, and saved it to serve as a reminder to be more careful in selecting a bride if I ever thought of marriage again.


End file.
